Extra, Extra
Conquer and Divide: “The drama going on between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine raises one of the most disturbing questions I’ve ever had to ask about my own country: Are we being led by a dupe for Vladimir Putin — by someone ready to swallow whole the Russian president’s warped view of who started the war in Ukraine and how it must end? Or are we being led by a Mafia godfather, looking to carve up territory with Russia the way the heads of crime families operate? ‘I’ll take Greenland, and you can take Crimea. I’ll take Panama, and you can have the oil in the Arctic. And we’ll split the rare earths of Ukraine. It’s only fair.’ Either way, my fellow Americans and our friends abroad, for the next four years at least, the America you knew is over.” Tom Friedman in the NYT (Gift Article): The Disturbing Question at the Heart of the Trump-Zelensky Drama. Meanwhile, from CNN: What we do and don’t know about Trump’s ‘very big deal’ on Ukraine’s mineral resources. (Prop up enemies, shake down allies…)
+ The Better to See You With: It’s a bad time to have a face for radio. It turns out that a whole lot of people are now watching their podcasts and radio shows. “YouTube isn’t a podcast app, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming the number one place people who want to consume online radio shows now turn to.” More than 1 billion people are now watching podcasts on YouTube every month. (Thankfully, those with a face for newsletter writing are still safe.)
+ Altered State Media: “The move, coupled with the government’s arguments this week in a federal lawsuit over access filed by The Associated Press, represented an unprecedented seizing of control over coverage of the American presidency by any administration.” The White House says it ‘will determine’ which news outlets cover Trump.
+ Billion Air: “The consuming class in Asia’s third largest economy is not ‘widening’ as much as it is ‘deepening’, according to the report. That basically means India’s wealthy population is not really growing in numbers, even though those who are already rich are getting even wealthier.” A billion Indians have no spending money. (This is a global trend.)
+ Firing Lines: “When I left Children’s National, I left behind: A tenured associate professor career. Five active large-scale grants. 40 peer-reviewed publications. A school-based EF curricula I ran through two clinical trials, now used in 15 districts. A journal editor position. A community of the best, most brilliant, selfless colleagues and friends I deeply respect.” As the federal government purge continues, here’s a FB post from one of the folks fired to remind people of the sacrifices many people make to take a gov job in the first place.
+ Gaza Plaza: “The apparently AI-generated video includes depictions of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sunbathing in Gaza, and imagines scenes of destruction in Gaza transformed into a glitzy Riviera-style resort called TRUMP GAZA.” Trump’s social media video garners pushback from Arabs and Muslims in U.S. and Gaza.
+ Gopher It: “Large corporations are shopping for underground bunkers that can survive a nuclear blast to protect their data centers and C-suite employees as geopolitical tensions rise.” Corporations dig deeper: using bunkers to secure data (and their CEOs).
